Buzz
Bass of the Week: Nick Lloyd Basses 3/4 Lloyd Standard Model
There’s something uniquely beautiful about the double bass, and Nick Lloyd knows how to accentuate it. This week we check out his 3/4 Lloyd Standard Model featuring gorgeous woods and interesting twist. The bass’s design includes walnut back and sides with a classic flatback. “Previously I came across some beautiful, centuries-old Italian basses made from Walnut,” the luthier explains. “I...
Primus: Lee Van Cleef
Just about all of Les Claypool‘s bass lines are catchy and fun to play, but “Lee Van Cleef” is one of my favorites. The song, which pays homage to the actor with allusions to Claypool’s childhood, centers around a springy slap bass line on the D and G strings. Check out this clip of Primus performing it on the Jimmy...
John Benítez Releases Volume 1 of Bass Method Series
Latin jazz bassist John Benítez has launched a new set of instructional books focused on his own bass method. The John Benítez Bass Method Volume 1:- Freedom In The Clave: A Rhythmic Approach To Bass Playing focuses on strengthening your rhythmic confidence with a set of rhythmic independence exercises over a clave. Written with Ian Stewart, the book aims bolster...
Weekly Top 10: Bass Gear from Summer NAMM, Stage Sound, Top Videos, Getting the Most of a Lesson and More
This week we get to celebrate a little more on the gear front, thanks to the Summer NAMM show and the announcements made there. But that’s not all that makes up this top 10 list… We have two expert columns – one by Damian Erksine on stage sound and the other by Dr. D on making the most of bass...
Acoustic Image Introduces Clarus SL and SL-R Amp Heads
Acoustic Image has announced it will be reintroducing the Clarus SL and Clarus SL-R single-channel amp heads as part of their 4plus Series. The compact units weigh in at just over 2 1/2 pounds while dishing out 600 watts of power into 4 ohms. A core update to the models is the inclusion of Acoustic Image’s FLEX-style four-channel EQ, with...
Ripe: Talk To The Moon
I stumbled upon the Boston-based band Ripe recently, and I was glad I did. I’ll admit, at first I was impressed with vocalist Robbie Wulfsohn. But after giving them a listen, I quickly became a fan of bassist Mauricio Morales. Here’s the band performing their tune “Talk To The Moon” live at the Berklee Internet Radio Network. The tune features...
Darren Michaels Releases “Seasons”
Darren Michaels has released Seasons, a 10-song collection that delves into the bassist’s singer/songwriter style. The album, which is his first full-length solo project in seven years, showcases his lyrics and creative bass playing with thought-provoking lyrics, altered tunings, and a chordal approach to the the bass. Michaels utilized an arsenal of three basses to record the whole album, one...
Wampler Pedals Introduces Low Blow Bass Pedal
Wampler Pedals has released the Low Blow, an overdrive/distortion pedal designed specifically for bass. The Low Blow features two clipping modes – Smooth and Jagged – for dialing in your dirt as well as a 3-band EQ for further tonal tweaking. Additionally, the pedal has a Notch Filter switch to tighten up “common cabinet ‘woof’ without having to turn down.”...
Mike Watt with Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, & Pat Smear: Big Train
I’ve been revisiting some of Mike Watt‘s music recently after listening to his incredible interview on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, and this clip floored me. The punk legend toured in 1995 with a superstar band to back him up including Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Foo Fighters members Dave Grohl and Pat Smear. Here’s the group on the Jon Stewart...
ESP Guitars Announces Two New Bunny Brunel Signature Basses
After launching the Bunny Brunel Signature Series at the Winter NAMM show, ESP Guitars took to the Summer NAMM show to expand the lineup with a pair of new models: the LTD BB-1005/QM/Black Aqua and the LTD BB-1005 QM/Burnt Orange. Both models are 5-string fretted basses, which fills a gap in the initial Brunel signature offering of a fretless fiver...
Damian Coccio: What the Storm Brought
Damian Coccio shared his latest video with us of a tune he wrote for solo loop bass, “What the Storm Brought”. He also shared the specifics in how his setup: “Using the Ditto X2 Looper and Strymon Timeline Delay. Using the volume knob on the Ditto X2 Looper for fading during the performance. Tuning is DGDGD. The bass is a...
Sly & the Family Stone 1968 Fillmore East Performance Released for First Time
Legendary funk/soul/R&B/rock band Sly & the Family Stone was energetic and on the rise in 1968, with two albums — Dance to the Music and Life — already behind them. Live At The Fillmore East October 4th & 5th, 1968, captures the sound of a great band with an incomparable electric bassist — Larry Graham, who went on to create...